Illegal cashew buyers operating in parts of the West Gonja Municipality have come under scrutiny following a joint enforcement drive by the Cashew Traders and Exporters Association of Ghana (CTEAG) and the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), amid concerns that farmers are being exploited through unlawful pricing and unlicensed trading.
Investigations by the West Gonja branch of CTEAG have revealed that some buyers in Damongo and surrounding farming communities are deliberately flouting the TCDA-approved minimum producer price of GH₵12.00 per kilogram for raw cashew nuts. Instead, the buyers are said to be purchasing produce at significantly lower prices, contrary to regulations and to the disadvantage of farmers.
The minimum price applies strictly to cashew nuts that meet regulated quality standards, including a 46 out-turn, a 190 nut count and a maximum moisture content of 10 per cent. However, evidence gathered by the association suggests that some middlemen are exploiting weak enforcement and the financial pressures facing farmers to force sales below the legally approved threshold.
In a strongly worded statement, CTEAG and the TCDA warned that any buying or selling of cashew below GH₵12.00 constitutes an illegal act, stressing that offenders will be sanctioned in accordance with the law.
The associations further disclosed that some individuals currently operating in the municipality are not licensed by the Tree Crops Development Authority, rendering their activities unlawful from the outset. Under Ghana’s tree crops regulations, only aggregators licensed by the TCDA are permitted to operate within the cashew value chain.
“Unlicensed buying is not only illegal, it is destroying trust, distorting prices, and bleeding farmers dry,” the Association said.
To address the situation, the TCDA and CTEAG have announced plans to commence a registration and verification exercise targeting all aggregators, traders and exporters operating in West Gonja. Operators who fail to produce valid TCDA licences and operational documents will be barred from buying cashew and handed over to the Ghana Police Service for prosecution.
The Municipal Chairman of CTEAG, Mr Iddrisu Sumani, popularly known as Azambuja, described the developments as a deliberate attempt to undermine the regulated cashew market.
“This is no longer a misunderstanding of prices. It is a calculated violation of the law. Farmers are being short-changed and the industry is being undermined. This crackdown will be firm and uncompromising,” he warned.
Mr Sumani, who is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bunyanso Farms Limited, a TCDA-licensed aggregator, said the enforcement action was intended to protect farmers, restore pricing discipline and sanitise the cashew trade across the Savannah Region.
CTEAG has also urged cashew farmers to reject illegal buyers and report anyone offering prices below the approved GH₵12.00 per kilogram, assuring them that their identities will be protected and that swift action will be taken.
As the cashew season reaches its peak, the enforcement drive is expected to test the resolve of regulators and expose illegal networks that have operated undetected for years. For farmers in West Gonja, regulators say the message is clear: the era of price manipulation and unlicensed buying is drawing to a close.
